PHILADELPHIA — Saquon Barkley can do it through the air, too.
The Philadelphia Eagles got off to a fast start in their home tilt against the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 20-yard strike from Jalen Hurts to Barkley with 10:22 remaining in the opening quarter.
A big special teams play set the stage, as Sydney Brown jarred the ball loose on an Austin Trammell punt return that was recovered in Jacksonville territory by Kelee Ringo.
Two plays later, Hurts dropped back and floated one down the right sideline, hitting Barkley in stride for the score.
THE EAGLES SCORE IN THE FIRST QUARTER.
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Barkley entered the day ranked second in rushing yards (766) and yards per game (109.4) and with five touchdowns. He now has two receiving TDs on the year, having hauled in an 18-yarder in the opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Barkley’s score marked the first first-quarter points for the Eagles all season. Coming into the game, they were the only team in the league that had failed to score in the opening frame.
Then Barkley left the Lincoln Financial Field crowd in a state of amazement with a backward hurdle of a Jacksonville Jaguars defender early in the second quarter.
Hand it off to @Saquon on 3rd and 17, score touchdowns.
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📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/eO99QBW9ZO— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
The beginning of the play was dazzling enough, with Barkley taking a pass from Jalen Hurts in the flat, breaking a tackle and then bringing linebacker Devin Lloyd to his knees with a spin move that had Lloyd grasping at air. But that was just the appetizer.
Barkley then stepped so his back was to cornerback Jarrian Jones, elevated and blindly leapfrogged Jones for an extra 5 yards on what turned out to be a 14-yard gain on third-and-6.
Fans rose to their feet and turned to one another with a look of shock, having witnessed a play that has few comparisons in NFL history.
Barkley found the end zone again late in the opening half, taking a 3rd-and-17 draw the distance for a 19-yard score.
THE 180 HURDLE??? DID SAQUON JUST INVENT THIS?!
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DeVonta Smith delivered a dazzling play of his own, making an improbable one-handed catch in the back of the end zone while managing to keep his feet inbounds for a 25-yard TD to put the Eagles up two scores midway through the fourth quarter.
Hurts goes deep to DeVonta for 46 yards!
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